Spark of Hope
by mycro mini mo
Summary: Makino Tsukushi's summer was anything but uneventful, she has lost so much, with the help and support of her friends, will she be able to make it out of it all?


A lone figure walked down the deserted street, her tense frame similar to that of a taut bow string, ready to bolt at the slightest disturbance. Several broken street lamps flickered on and off, creating dancing shadows around the obviously nervous form in this unfamiliar territory.

A curtain of dark, raven hair covered her face as she kept her head down and slightly shaking, shoulders hunched to brace herself against the unyielding wind. The sound of teeth chattering indicated the condition of this pitiful figure as she hurried home.

_It's f – f – freezing, but I need the money, no, Susumu needs the money. I need to keep my head up until he awakens, if… he awakens… NO! Don't even go there!_ Tears welled up in Makino Tsukushi's eyes as her train of thoughts led her to the image of her brother, where he laid blissfully on a hospital bed, completely oblivious to the world.

Susumu had been in a coma for three weeks now, yet he still shows no sign of waking up anytime soon. The doctor said, although the chance of him waking up is slim to none, however, if he does, there is a high chance of memory loss, as a result from long time oxygen deprivation from the brain.

Makino wiped angrily at the tears, _now is not the time for depressing thoughts, I cannot risk losing it now, Susumu's depending on me. I need to keep my head up and do my best, hopefully everything will work out in due time. I wonder what Rui's doing at the moment._

Hanazawa Rui went to Paris to visit Shizuka, whom he had not seen for a while. He came to a realisation that his love for Shizuka was merely adoration and had settled for a close friendship with his childhood idol. Tsukushi and Rui had also grown closer. To the extent where they are comfortable enough with calling each other by their first names. He was always looking out for her, and was always there when she needed a shoulder to lean on. The two knew each other so well; words were not required in order for them to communicate.

Meanwhile, the two playboys are occupying themselves with the remainder of the summer holidays in Hawaii trying to pick up as many girls as possible. Soujiro was slightly miffed that Akira was beating his record despite his best effort, to which Akira teased that Soujiro's losing his touch, he was seen the next morning sporting a black eye courtesy of Soujiro as he trailed behind with a triumphant grin on his face.

The last member and also the leader of F4; Domyouji Tsukasa, was neither seen now heard from all summer since leaving for America to study business after losing a deal with his ever calculating mother. Makino tried repeatedly calling him, only to receive a message that he was unable to take her call and to leave a message. It was not only her that he was ignoring; it appears that the F3 also could not reach him. It seems that Domyouji has disappeared from the face of earth.

As first, Makino acknowledge his departure with reluctance but with acceptance, but as the long weeks wore on, with no news what so ever, the pleasant memories of time spent together quickly dissipated. Confusion and a deep sadness occupied its previous space as the seed of doubt settled in Makino's heart.

_Why hasn't he contacted me yet? It's been so long…_ a wistful expression came over her face as she recalled a particularly fond memory…

_It happened about six months ago. Domyouji and Makino were finally on a date together after a clever scheme planned by the masterminds of Soujiro and Akira. The said date did not go well at all, not in the beginning anyway._

_Domyouji insisted on going to a high class restaurant for lunch. Makino took one look at the menu and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Even the cheapest dish has to be worth a whole month of her salary! She stubbornly refused to order anything. Domyouji then called her a baka woman for worrying needlessly when she has a man as great as him to provide for her. This very nearly resulted into a catfight had it not been for the timely interference of Domyouji's phone ringing. It was Akira, and it appears that the two match makers had been monitoring the pair. He warned Tsukasa that he better calm down or risk losing his date, Soujiro could also be heard in the background muttering threats at Tsukasa should he ruin this perfect chance. However, Makino was oblivious to all of this as she was still fuming silently, burning deep holes into Tsukasa's back as he continued his conversation, unaware of the danger he was in._

_Tsukasa soon changed tactics after this. He allowed her to choose a restaurant to eat in, all the while muttering that he'll get food poisoning from eating common people's food, apart from that, everything went smoothly and they had an enjoyable lunch._

_After that they went to the cinema to watch Grudge 2 at Tsukasa's wishes. Tsukushi was slightly hesitant at first, however Tsukasa taunted her for being a scare – dy cat, and not one to back down from a good, old challenge, Tsukushi agreed to watch it._

_When Tsukasa finally brought the tickets and they sat down, Tsukushi was a tad bit suspicious about how there was no one else in there except for them. When she inquired about this, all she got in return was a smug grin; her suspicions were confirmed._

_During the movie, despite the brave front that she put on earlier, she screamed so loudly so that Domyouji had to clasp his hands firmly on his ears for fear of permanent damage, and even after that, his ears were still ringing. Thinking this wasn't going to work, he pulled her closer and placed his arms around her neck, hoping that his presence would comfort her somehow, AND as a bonus, to stop her screaming so shrilly._

_This innocent gesture was thought to have worked at first, but only served to bring them together into an intimating position and awkwardness ensued. Tsukushi kept her eyes firmly fixed on the screen in front of her as she sat stiffly in her seat, highly aware of the close proximity between them. She shifted her head slightly to steal a peak at what Domyouji's was doing, which was a mistake as she soon found out._

_Domyouji was staring at her with a fire and something else unidentifiable in his eyes. Unable to break away from such an intense gaze, she could only watch as Tsukasa bent his head slightly and captured her lips with his. Her whole world spun in that one moment. His tongue darted out of his mouth, seeking hers for entrance; she complied hesitantly at first, her tongue touching his timidly. Tsukushi slowly grew bolder and they duelled for dominance inside each other's mouths._

_Finally after what seemed like an eternity, in reality was only a few seconds, they drew apart, each gasping for breath as they laid contently in each others arms, their minds still spinning from the sensations they are going through. They gazed at each other tenderly as Tsukasa placed a final kiss on her forehead._

That was a memorial day. Tsukushi was ripped out of her musing as she realised that she has already arrived at the park. _Just one more block and I'll be home, although deep in my heart, home will always be where my family was…_

THUD!

_What was that?_ She stilled herself, mentally slapping herself for letting her guard down. She peered into the darkness, trying to pinpoint the direction of the source of noise disturbance.

Makino swung her gaze to a spot under a tree on her tight as a moan filtered through the air. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the darkness. _There_. She can just make out the silhouette of a person lying slumped on the ground against the tree.


End file.
